


option

by apellai



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types
Genre: Coming Out, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 15:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10811976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apellai/pseuds/apellai
Summary: Shaggy figures things out.(Sort of set in the Mystery Incorporated universe.)





	option

**Author's Note:**

> .... Yeah. I'm writing Scooby Doo fanfiction. Why not, right?

Military school  _ sucked. _

Like, really, honestly, totally, from the beginning to the end, it sucked. It felt like the life was being sucked out of Shaggy.

He hated being told what to do. He hated having his hair short. He hated being referred to as “Rogers.” He hated not being able to listen to music or eat all he wanted. Most of all, he hated being without Scooby Doo and the gang.

His bunkmate was nice enough, though. His name was Darwin Kennedy, but most people called him Frog, because of a tattoo of a frog he got when he was 16 and…  _ under the influence _ , as he put it. He said he wanted to get it covered up, but he can’t really do anything because he’s not eighteen and his parents watch his every move. If he got another tattoo, he’d have been homeless.

So Shaggy thought that the tattoo was the reason Kennedy was in military school. That, or the piercings, the rebel attitude, the swearing, the dyed hair - that is, until one night when Shaggy leant over his bed to talk to Frog. “Writing your folks, huh, man?” He asked.

Frog scoffed, staring down at the paper on his lap. “They wouldn’t want a letter from me,” he mumbled as he finished off the letter, slowly, like he was drawing something. “Uh, I was, uh, dating someone. Back home.”

Shaggy nodded, dropping from the top bunk to lean against the nightstand. “Like, what’s her name, dude?” Frog made an uncomfortable face as he tucked the letter under his pillow. “Did I say something wrong?”

Frog stared at his hands for a moment before giving Shaggy a meaningful look. “You won’t judge me, right?”

“Like, no! Never, man.”

“Okay,” Frog sighed to himself. “I was dating a guy. His name’s Frank, and our parents found out. Frank got sent to his ultra-religious grandparents’ and I got sent here,” He snorted, a sort of dry laugh. “To sleep with a bunch of ripped dudes. Smart, right?”

Shaggy nodded, not saying anything as Frog laughed to himself. There wasn’t much to say.

All he could think was,  _ “That’s an option?” _

 

That’s what kept him occupied the rest of his time at the academy.

The reason he never wanted to show affection with Velma. The reason he could never bring himself to actually  _ kiss _ a girl, the reason he stared when Fred had his shirt off. Or, really, any other guy, for that matter. Somehow, he never put it together. He was a pretty goofy, awkward kid, so he thought he just had anxiety when it came to girls. Well, more anxiety than normal. And as for the staring, he thought it was just… admiration. Sometimes he fantasized about Fred, but he told himself he was fantasizing about  _ being  _ Fred, not being  _ with _ Fred. … He really had himself fooled- because after finding out Kennedy was gay, everything fell into place. It was a whirlwind of emotion at first, from anxiety to self loathing to horror to self doubt - but eventually, he just accepted it. He was gay. He always had been gay, just never really thought about it. At times, he quietly cried himself to sleep. At times, he felt like he could finally find peace. It was a lot for a 17-year-old to go through, especially with where he grew up and how he  _ knew _ his parents would react.

 

Scooby Doo miraculously broke him out of the academy, and good timing too - Kennedy’s parents had just pulled him out because he convinced them he was straight, so Shaggy was now the only easy target in the school.

He thought about coming out to the gang, but they had other things on their minds. Finding Fred with a mile-long beard and Daphne dating world-famous actor really preoccupied his time.

He did end up telling Velma before anyone else.

They were somehow stuck in the back of the van together, and when Fred was distracted, Shaggy mumbled to her, “I have, like, a confession to make.”

Velma perked up, interested, but whispered: “I’m not going to date you again, Rogers.”

He laughed. “Yeah, no, I know, Velmster. I… I get it. I don’t want that either.”

She nodded, encouraging him to go on with a sarcastic motion of her hand.

“You know, I’ve been at, like, military school.”

“Yeah.”

“Met a guy there.”

“Yeah…?”

The realization dawned on her, and though she thought he meant he  _ dated _ the guy, he still got his point across. Relief spread on her face, and she smiled. “That’s kind of a relief, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I thought it was  _ me. _ I knew you were… socially inept, or whatever. But it still felt like it was my fault. But, now, I know, it’s not me, it’s… all girls, really, right?”

Shaggy chuckled. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well,” Velma shrugged, patting Shaggy on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you. Being able to tell me and all. … Takes guts.”

Shaggy smiled to himself, and that was that.

 

Next came Daphne. She probably already knew, honestly. The gang was in between cases, and everyone was hanging out at Daphne’s house. Fred had gone downstairs to get… something, God knows what. Daphne saw Shaggy’s gaze linger too long.

“Say,” she piped, still looking down at her nails as she painted them. “Shaggy. Do you have something to tell me?”

Shaggy froze at that question, heat exploding in his abdomen and his face. “Like, um…”

“Did something change while you were gone?” She closed the nail polish bottle, spraying some dryer on her nails and waving her hands in an attempt to get them to dry faster. “You know, Shaggy, you can tell me anything.” Velma smirked to herself, listening despite the screen in front of her.

“ _ Well, maybe not anything, _ ” he thought. He didn’t speak, he was never really  _ close _ with Daphne, so it was a lot harder to come out to her. Scooby laid his head in Shaggy’s lap, looking up at him with those big cute eyes, comforting him. (Scooby knew.  _ Of course _ Scooby knew.)

He ran a hand through his barely-there hair, sighing.

“Militaryschoolmademerealizeiwasgay.” He blurted, trying to get it all out before he lost his nerve. Daphne let out a shrill gasp, moving forward in her seat to lean closer to him.

“I knew it! Well, I didn’t know it, but I thought so. Are you dating anyone? Do you want to? _ Did _ you date anyone? Oh! That’s what the whole thing with Velma was, huh? Have you kissed a boy yet? Oh, this is so exciting!” She chattered on and on and  _ on _ until Velma threw a shoe at her.

“That’s  _ rude, _ Daphne.”

Daphne silenced herself immediately, looking just a little dejected but understanding. Shaggy laughed.

“Like, I’m not dating anyone. Not right now.”

“Do you  _ want to?” _ Daphne repeated, waving her hands again. Nail polish must be a giant pain the neck.

Shaggy gulped, thinking on the fact that she busted him checking out  _ Fred _ , of all people. “N-No. Not… not  really. No.” Daphne gave Shaggy a skeptical look, but went back to what she was doing.

After a moment, she said, “Shaggy?”

“... Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you.”

Pride and happiness swelled in Shaggy’s chest.

 

Lastly, of course, came Fred.

Shaggy and Fred had been best friends since a young age - they met in elementary school, and Fred had taken it upon himself to protect Shaggy from bullies. They had shared so many memories, so many nights sleeping in each other’s homes - at first, Shaggy would sleep on the floor, or vice versa, but eventually they became comfortable enough to sleep in the same beds. Shaggy was afraid of Fred being angry with him. Maybe he’d assume that they were only friends so Shaggy could see him topless, or something like that, maybe he’d hate him. Maybe he’d kick Shaggy out of Mystery Inc.

Fred and Shaggy were hanging out at Fred’s house, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. Shaggy laid out on the couch, with Freddy in the floor next to him, his head laying partially at Shaggy’s side.

The urge to pet soft blond hair tugged at Shaggy’s heart, but he resisted. The way Fred looked up at him in a way that made him so nervous - all bright-eyed and sweet and full of childlike hope. In a moment of courage, Shaggy let an arm fall onto Fred’s shoulder, his hand lightly grazing the muscular chest underneath him. And Fred, he just let that happen.

In fact, it seemed like he leant into the touch.

… Wishful thinking.

Silence washed over them for a moment, both boys smiling to themselves, entertained by something or other. Pure contentment, Shaggy thought. Happiness, soft and warm and blooming between them without either saying anything.

Fred sighed, letting his legs stretch out in front of him, shoulders falling back against the couch. “Shaggy,” His voice was quiet, tentative. Like he didn’t want to speak.

Shaggy hummed in acknowledgement, and Fred took a moment to respond. Again, his voice rang soft, almost blending in with the sound of crickets and wind in the summer night - “What if…” He trailed off, gazing into the fireplace ahead of him.

“What if?”

“Don’t judge me, okay?” He was shaking. His cheeks were red. It reminded Shaggy of every time he interacted with Fred as a kid. Scared.

But Fred interlaced his fingers with Shaggy’s, holding the hand on the arm that Shaggy had draped across his shoulder. No words. Only his hand in Shaggy’s, his eyes still focused on the fireplace, and Shaggy could feel Fred’s heart thumping from where his arm laid.

That was that. There wasn’t really a Big Coming Out Moment with Fred. He just sort of accepted it, and wasn’t surprised when Shaggy started dating guys. Nobody did.

It sure as hell wasn’t what Shaggy expected, but he was glad.


End file.
